FLOWSTATE Issue 2

IRISH FREESTYLE TEAM IN SPAIN
RONAN FOLEY WINS MARATHON EUROPEAN GOLD
MEET PAT O’LEARY, IRELANDS TOP CANOE PARATHLETE
ISSUE #2 AUGUST 2018
the official magazine of
MAEVE MARTIN
Ireland’s First WWR Female
to Rank in a C1 - ICF Class

WELCOME TO FLOW
So much to do, so little time. That adage
could easily be the battle cry for the
Canoeing Ireland development
department. Not unlike our first and
second quarter, the third is just as busy
if not a bit busier!
A lot of the projects that were born in the
earlier part of the year are now starting
to pick up a pace. You may have noticed
the Blueway 10k events are back on the
radar. We’re running two events this year
to coincide with a new venture titled the
National Canoe & Kayak Week. The week
is aimed at increasing the exposure of
canoeing and kayaking through two 10k
events, one running in Clondra Co.
Longford and the other in Scarriff Co.
Clare. The Clondra event is taking place
on the Camlin Loop Blueway and the
Scarriff event is taking place on the
Lough Derg Blueway.
Both events have been heavily
supported by our partners Waterways
Ireland. We are also very lucky this year
to have the support of Longford Sports
Partnership and Tipperary Sports
Partnership who have added an extra
layer of professionalism and activism to
the events.
This year will be last time we see the
Blueway 10k events being rolled out as
we plan for 2019 with some new national
programmes. Canoeing Ireland is very
much in favour of developing the
National Canoe & Kayak Week concept
for next year also.
The junior awards syllabus is also
gaining momentum. We’ve come at
these awards with a view to creating a
framework that promotes long term
involvement in the sport while also
endeavouring to create a pathway for
juniors into the competitive disciplines.
The syllabus is currently segregated into
three phases. Each phase will have five
modules and be multi-disciplined. As the
final touches are put to the syllabus I
hope to engage with a number of
coaches, teachers/instructors who have
experience of working with children in
sport. The syllabus is guided by Sport
Ireland’s factsheets “Coaching Children
Successfully in Sport” and the LISPA
framework.
The senior awards are also currently
being reviewed. Shane McElligot has
taken on this piece of work on behalf of
Canoeing Ireland. The bulk of this work
will be carried out via consultations with
relevant personal closer to the autumn.
Our clubs and members’ consultations
will kick back in after the holiday period.
Galway and the midlands are next on the
list. Dates will be confirmed in the near
future.
So that’s the update, thanks to everyone
who contributed to this edition of Flow
State. It really is jam-packed. So much
content came in that we had to hold
some content
back for the
Christmas edition.
Apologies if your
piece didn’t make
it into this edition,
we’ll make it up to
you.
Enjoy the rest of
the summer and
stay safe.
J M∾y
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
MESSAGE FROM
THE BOARD
We’re delighted to see the second edition of Flowstate
and the stories and successes which encapsulate
Canoeing Ireland. It’s been a really busy period for our
organisation since the last edition.
Off the water, the 57th Annual General Meeting was
held on the 09th June 2018 in the Lucan Spa Hotel
which saw the adoption of 2017 Audited Accounts and
election of Board members. Newly elected to the Board
are Aisling Conlan as Honorary Treasurer and Ciaran
Farrell as Olympic Representative, while Paul Donnelly
remains as President, Brian Ogilvie as Honorary
Secretary, Leigh Blackmore as Executive Member and
Bryan Fennell as Leinster Representative.
Following the completion of their respective terms, the
Board wishes to pass on its sincere appreciation to
Adrian Shanahan, Colin Slevin, Evan Roberts and Paul
Pierce for their time, commitment and efforts as Board
Members.
At the AGM, an overview was provided to members in
attendance on the progress made throughout the year,
particularly focusing on the strengthening financial
position and the return to normal staffing levels from
the organisation’s lowest level in mid-2017. As part of
this on-going strategy, the recruitment process for the
role of CEO has now commenced with the recent
advertising of the position. Other actions throughout
the year such as the outsourcing of the book keeping
and the increase in membership fees are all having a
positive impact. Membership numbers have also grown
by approximately 10 percent. The focus for the Board is
to continue building Canoeing Ireland as an open and
transparent organisation while stabilising finances
through reducing debtors and strengthening the
balance sheet.
Recently, the Board approved our new Quality
Assurance and Safety Standards initiative which
invites commercial providers to become registered for
good practice under the Canoeing Ireland banner. We
feel this new development will ensure quality and safety
throughout our sport and across the different sectors.
On the water, we would like to congratulate all our
athletes who have been so successful in International
competition over a range of disciplines this Summer.
You are flying the flag high around the World.
CONTENTS
ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT
Interview with Patrick O’Leary Ireland’s Top Canoe Parathlete 4
Ireland’s Newest WWR C1 European
Classic Champion Darragh Clark 5
Maeve Martin - Ireland’s First WWR
Female to Rank in a C1 - ICF Class 6
Congratulations to Jake Cochrane 6
Junior Athlete Profile - Ronan Foley 8
Senior Athlete Profile - Aisling Griffin 10
PADDLING NEWS
Paddles Up! A Great Success for 2018 14
Clonmel Slalom Race Div 1 & 2 and Open 15
Irish Canoe Slalom Flat Water Race Series
(and upcoming slalom events) 15
Marathon World Cup Viana do Castelo, Portugal 16
Irish Canoe Slalom Team Selections for 2018 19
Freestyle World Cup - Sort, Spain 20
Results Round Up 31
THE MORE YOU KNOW
Paddlefest, the Story so Far 12
Mayor of Galway Launches
Watersports Inclusion Games 2018 18
Numb Legs and Why do we Get
Them when we are Paddling? - Orlagh Sampson 21
CLUBS & MEMBERS
MEETING
Canoeing Ireland have continued their
series of clubs and members meetings
which have taken place over the last couple
of months. After the initial success of the
first meeting in Dublin, the CI team headed
to Clonmel to meet with members from
clubs in the south and south west region.
The meeting was kindly hosted by our
friends in the Tipperary Sports Partnership
and attracted members from Limerick, Kerry,
Tipperary and some travelled down from
Dublin to catch up on what was going on.
The meeting was well received with clubs
been given the chance to speak about their
experiences as Canoeing Ireland members
and offer their feedback on how the national
governing body relates to its members.
Once all the important discussions were
had there was an impromptu paddle on the
wonderful slalom course in Clonmel town.
Canoeing Ireland Development Officer, Jon
Mackey had this to say after the event.
“On the lists of important tasks for this year
was for myself and CI staff to go and meet
our members, face to face. These meeting
have proven to be a welcomed success.
Canoeing Ireland are listening carefully to
what its members have to say. We
acknowledge CI has been limping for some
time, but we are also confident that we are
starting to make strides again. These
meetings are important to us and we hope
the members feel the same way. Only by
talking and interacting together, can we
begin to become stronger together”
The next consultation meeting will be held in
Galway in the autumn, with a final meeting
being held in the midlands towards October.
ON THE COVER: Maeve Martin - Full story on pg6 - Photo credit: Mick Feeney
Canoeing Ireland is now at the end of the first year of a
three-year recovery phase
with the main emphasis
being on Stabilising,
Consolidating and Growing
the organisation. As a
member and club centric
body, the growth and
sustainability of Canoeing
Ireland relies heavily on its
volunteers and the Board
welcomes any suggestions
or help from members.
Board, Canoeing Ireland
B Oе
HONORARY SECRETARY
Circumnavigation of Ireland with Michael O’Farrell 23
FLOWSTATE FOCUS
Planning your First Big Whitewater Trip - Colin Wong 26
Canoeing Says Goodbye to Stalwart Kris Kohls 29
Club Spotlight
Wellness on the Water - Shannon Paddlers Club 30
2
3

INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK O’LEARY
IRELAND’S TOP CANOE PARATHLETE
more skill development he feels he can go faster in the Va’a and also in the K boat.
Preparations are well underway for the World Championships where he has changed the original plan to
now compete in both boats again after the success of the Europeans. He says the K boat is still his
favourite but maybe the Va’a is growing on him. He hopes that his Family Jude, Sean and Joe who have
been a huge part of the journey and a great support throughout will come to Portugal this year to see
him compete. One of the highlights of Rio, Patrick says, was having them on the bank cheering him on.
Next year the qualification for Tokyo starts and the good news is if you qualify in one you can compete
in both at the games so Patrick may just have 2 bites of the cherry. He needs to finish in the top 6
nations at the worlds in his event to qualify next year or face a tougher route qualifying in 2020 in one
of the remaining 4 spots. One difference in paracanoe is that in Worlds and Europeans there are two
entries allowed per country in each event unlike the able bodied programme that allows only one. Only
one space per nation can qualify for the games. That means a top 8 position in the K boat or Va’a would
likely be good enough to book a spot next year at the worlds in Szeged.
His one regret is that there is still no other paddlers taking up the sport and feels there is huge scope
for Irish paddlers to compete at the highest level in paracanoe in either K boats or Va’a. ‘Paddling is a
very accessible sport for people with disabilities and most clubs in the country would happily introduce
anyone to paddling. The more people that paddle the more success we will have’
Patrick O’Leary is quietly building towards Tokyo 2020. After Paracanoe’s debut in the Paralympic games in
Rio in 2016 it was widely believed the sport had the best venue of the games. Competing in a lagoon just
beside Copacabanna beach and under the famous Christ the Redeemer statue was a unique experience.
Patrick finished 6th in the Paralympic final which was a massive achievement.
Patrick has a long associating with canoe
sport having played canoe polo from 1994 to
2000 with the Irish team, including in the
inaugural worlds in Sheffield. He started
canoeing in school but really embraced the
sport in UCC and with Phoenix in Cork. He also
played polo in The Netherlands when work
brought him there for 2 years. In 2004 he
started working in NUI Galway on the doorstep
of the Corrib and he returned to K Boat
paddling. After a long illness throughout 2010
and 2011 he lost his left leg and adapted to a
new life. On April 1st 2012 he returned to the
water after a 2 year break and was hooked all
over again. Around that time sprint was
admitted to the Paralympic programme and he
petitioned Canoeing Ireland to get on board
travelling to his first Europeans and Worlds in
2013. Since then he has the best results ever
by an Irish sprinter in Olympic or Paralympic
classes. In 5 world championships he has
been to the A final in 3 and the B final in the
other 2, in 5 European championships he has
4 A finals and 1 B final and a best ever finish of
4th in 2015. In World Cups he has always
qualified for the A final with 4th, 5th and 6th to
his name. In the Rio test event he finished 3rd
and 6th in the Paralympic games itself.
This year brought new challenges and
opportunities for Patrick and paracanoe in
general. Because of the success of
paracanoe in Rio a new event is being rolled
out into the Tokyo programme va’a. A Va’a is an
outrigger canoe similar to an OC1 with one
major difference no rudder is allowed so
steering is by stroke control only with the one
blade. Pat borrowed an ocean va’a from Jim
Morrissey and started paddling it in January
(removing the rudder first just to make his life a
bit harder). It was as much to try a new craft as
anything else and learn a new skill never having
paddled with a single blade before. He raced a
borrowed boat in April Nottingham and was
happy with the results albeit he took a swim
during one warm down. He went to the Szeged
world cup to be classified into the appropriate
racing class for va’a still not certain where this
adventure was going but happy that he did a
pb in his Kayak at the same regatta
In para sport athletes compete in bands of
similar disability but because spaces at
Paralympic games are limited and paracanoe
is a new sport it is limited to 3 bands. Patrick
competes in the most able K boat class.
Disabilities in this class can range from one
fused ankle joint to an above knee amputee
like Patrick. In the recent European
championships K boat final there were 2
above knee and 2 below knee amputees with
the remaining 5 athletes having both legs.
The Va’a classification is quite different with
the band Patrick is now part of starting at
people with above knee amputations and no
below knee or lesser disabilities allowed. This
presented an opportunity in that Patrick
would be better placed to compete if he could
learn the skills of the boat. Patrick feels the
fitness and strength is transferrable but the
skill base is what would make him fast. In the
World Cup he was in the position of going ‘fast
or straight but not both’ and set his pb at just
under 1 minute for the 200m course. 3 weeks
later in the European championships Patrick
knocked 6 seconds off that mark to finish with
a new pb of 53.106 and finish 7th in Europe
just 3 seconds off the medals. He also
finished 8th in the K1 final. He thinks this is
the first time an Irish paddler has competed in
a kayak and canoe event at the same
championship and it surely is the first time
someone has made the A final in both. With
MEET IRELAND’S NEWEST
WWR C1 EUROPEAN CLASSIC
CHAMPION DARRAGH CLARK
Down River Racing or Wild Water Racing is often
overlooked in the international canoeing
community, but it contains some of the fastest
and most skilled paddlers on the planet, its main
goal to go as fast as possible down the biggest
rivers with big rapids in the fastest time. You race
alone against the clock in a battle of speed and
skill. There are two types of race: The popular
adrenaline rushing Sprint (400-600m) or the
arduous Classic (4-6 km).
The sport is small in international circles, in
Ireland it is even smaller, but we have the rivers
to run some amazing races nearly all year-round.
There are two classes of racer, those in Kayak
(K1) and those who are brave enough who
Canoe (C1).
Darragh Clarke is a young man who lives on the
banks of the Liffey in the small village of
Chapelizod, he grew up and spent his entire life
in and around the water. He has been a member
of Wild Water Kayak Club from an early age.
From early in his competitive training and racing
career Darragh had a prolific aptitude to C1
racing with the help of his coaches and friends.
Darragh’s first international debut for Ireland
was at 15 years old at the World Championships
in North Carolina USA, he competed in two
categories, C1 and C2.
He impressively came 6th in the C1 Sprint and
9th in the classic and impressively carried his
brother across the line in their C2 still managing
to come 5th in the sprint.
Darragh wasn’t completely satisfied with this
outcome though and vowed that the next year
he would come home with a medal around his
neck.
The following year Darragh’s improvements grew
exponentially with the help of his coaches and
family, but it was clear from his races at home
where he was winning the senior men’s races
that he was ready to compete abroad again.
The 2017 World championships were held in the
sleepy town of Murau, Austria as they were the
year before, a beautiful town with a huge alpine
fuelled river coursing through it.
The stage was set for the young 17-year-old and
he was calm and ready to compete.
The classic course was a gruelling 21 minute
approx. of raging water, large glacial boulders in
the ice-cold water. Of the 26 young men that
competed from 14 different countries from
around the world he powered his way across the
line in an impressive time of 20:41 and grabbing
the coveted silver, second place medal.
This was the greatest result of anyone from
Ireland in Wild Water Racing and one of the best
results for Irish Canoeing.
The sprint is a more competitive event and the
slightest slip up can mean dropping four or five
places in the ranking. The sprint course in the
heart of the town was took less than a minute
with the power of the fast and dangerous rapids
speeding you along.
In the final of the race Darragh missed out on a
medal by 0.16 of a second, as long as it takes to
sneeze.
Darragh wasn’t deterred by his fourth-place
result and is not only positive about his training
he is confident in getting a better result in this
year’s European Championships taking place in
beautiful Macedonia in August just a little over a
month after he finishes his leaving cert exams
in June.
We all would like to wish Darragh the best of luck
in his exams and to take double gold for Ireland
in his last year competing as a junior.
4
5

IRELAND’S FIRST WWR FEMALE
TO RANK IN A C1 - ICF CLASS
MAEVE MARTIN
LIKE A
PEA IN
A POD
CONGRATULATIONS TO
JAKE COCHRANE
Massive congratulations to Jake
Cochrane who made his first Semi Final
in a Canoe Slalom World Cup. Jake
raced in the Mens C1, in Krakow and
had a brilliant run to finish the race
ranked 14th. He was 1.74 seconds off
making the final with a 2 second penalty
for a touch. Great result and delighted
to see all the hard work paying off.
As his racing continues in the World
Championships in Ivrea, We saw Jake
go straight into the Semi Finals in Ivrea!
Maeve Martin, WWKC, a 6th year student,
competed in the Senior WWR world
championships in Muotathal, Switzerland and
hence has become the first Irish female
paddler to be ranked in C1 in this ICF class
listing.
With an exceptionally full and deep layer of
snow from last winter to source the seasonal
snowmelt, combined with a pre-race fortnight
of exceptionally heavy rain; river conditions
were so high at the end of May, that the race
could have been moved to the back-up river
race site. However, unlike the 1973 Irish race
expedition there, the weather relented and
after a huge storm on Sunday, the actual race
week was marked by its sunny weather. This
was reflected in the sunny disposition of the
Swiss people providing a superb race
organisation.
Embattled with the mighty Muota
the Czechs dominate this gender in WWR in
general, others can enjoy success, e.g. an
Italian navy marine also medalled in the Sprint
race.
The path that brought Maeve here?
The most recent step for Maeve was
‘upskilling’ from Slalom C1 to bring her big
Wild-Water and C1 experience into Ireland’s
female WWR arena. Given her recent race
results in Slalom, i.e. ECA Junior Cup ranking
of 3rd in C1 and 4th in K1 at the time of writing,
perhaps some cautious optimism for Ireland’s
future female C1 WWR is due!
To give some idea of the challenge posed by
these race/water conditions, about 10% of
senior racers in this class had a DNF (Did Not
Finish) result, i.e. swim, in one of their race runs.
However, Maeve completed all her race runs
and progressed from the qualification to the
semi-final stage in the Sprint race. As 2018 is
the year Maeve last qualifies as a junior, this is
a result well above that expected by her
coaches, who had encouraged her to compete
for developmental purposes.
Fortunately for Maeve, her willingness to
compete by ‘paddling up’ in very senior ranks,
has resulted in her receiving a Czech invitation
for a race/training camp in August. NB: while
Designed using biometric data
from nearly 4,000 people, the
Shuck has an anatomic shape
and adjustment for a satisfying
fit – like a pea in a pod.
6
canoecentre.ie

JUNIOR ATHLETE PROFILE
NAME:
CLUB:
DISCIPLINE:
RONAN FOLEY
SALMON LEAP
& KILCULLEN CC
MARATHON/SPRINT
Pictured: Ronan has had a tremendous year so far, meet the young man
with a European gold in Canoe Marathon and a huge future ahead of him
Pictured: Coach Jon Simmons and Ronan in action
Ronan, massive congratulations on
your recent European success. We’ve
been following your achievements from
home and you can be assured that the
entire paddle-sport community in
Ireland was very proud of you, how do
you feel now that the dust has settled?
I feel really happy and proud to have won
in Croatia and I’m focusing now on the
World Champs coming up in Portugal
which will be another huge challenge.
All the support from home is fantastic; it’s
a great feeling to know that people are
behind us. There are a lot of people to
who I am very grateful for all their
encouragement and support. Obviously
my coach Jon Simmons without him
none of this would be possible but also
my training group in Salmon Leap and all
the people in Kilcullen who helped me
along the way, my first coach Jock Kelly,
and of course the best Irish supporter,
friend and adviser Dave McDonnell.
There are many others, they know who
they are.
Such an achievement doesn’t come
easy, tell us a little bit about your
preparations for the event.
Just hard training really with the training
group in SLCC.
I train twice most days and once a day
other days, with one day off every week.
Believer in quality over quantity.
So how did a lad like you get involved
with canoe marathon racing in the first
place?
I started paddling when I was 12 in
Kilcullen canoe club. I did lots of river
running and numerous different people
from the club taught me to paddle and
how to read the water.
I got into a K1 a month after joining and
loved it . I then got into Marathon racing
doing novice races and working my way
up through the divisions until I had an
Interest in trying out longer races.
I did the Tay Descent long course in
scotland twice, essentially 42kms on my
own through the Scottish countryside
and depending on levels some of the
biggest water I've paddled on and seen
every in my k1.
You’re obviously very lucky to be
working the talented coach that is
Jon Simmons, what it’s like to work
with Jon?
Jon is a very unique person. He is a very
selfless and puts his athletes needs
before his own.
Working with Jon has been life changing
for me, he has believed in me all the way
and has helped me to achieve this level of
paddling whilst also enjoying every
minute of it.
So while I am working really hard, I’m
enjoying every minute. There’s nothing I
would change.
Half of this medal is Jon’s too.
Apart from your recent European
gold, what are your achievements
to date?
I won the World Cup last month in
Portugal. I got a gold in the long and the
short course. It was a great race. I really
enjoyed it. The course was choppy and
rough which I loved ! And I had some
good tactical and fast racing out there
with some of the guys from GB and
Portugal too.
This time last year I won a silver and a
bronze in the world cup in Mechelen,
Belgium. I also won a European bronze
in Portugal later that summer. It was
great this year to see the progression to
a higher level and do Jon proud.
It’s exciting and motivating for me to
see the improvements and hopefully
motivating for any younger paddlers out
there hoping to do the same !
I’ve also won the Liffey Descent a few
times, the Tay Descent twice, and I have
had a bronze and a silver in the Sella
Descent in Spain.
I was 5th in the Worlds last year in South
Africa.
What are your interests outside of
racing?
Outside of racing, I love to paddle. On
the river, on the sea, anywhere in
anything.
I enjoy sports in general, going to the
gym or or going for a swim in the river.
What are your plans for the rest of
the year?
I will go to World champs in Portugal and
produce the best result that I can
produce for myself and for Ireland.
After world's I'll race the Liffey Descent
and then start planning for u/23 next
year.
What is the best sporting advice
you have received?
To be a champion, you need to behave
like one.
Do what's best for you.
Also to chase your dreams, no matter
what others tell you and believe that you
can achieve your dreams if you work
hard enough.
What are your future goals for you
and flat water racing?
I would like to do sprint next year and I
would like to be competitive in u/23
marathon next year.
At some stage I would also like to do
some of the long distance races in
South Africa like the Dusi, Berg and the
Fish.
I have other races I’d like to do too such
as the Gudenå in Denmark, the Czesky
Krumlov in Czechoslovakia and the
Adige and Ardeche Marathons.
How do you wind down after a
solid days training or competing?
After a hard days training I go home and
eat lots and lots of good food. Watch TV
then go to sleep. Not very exciting :)
If you could offer advice to young
aspiring flat water paddlers
reading this, what would you tell
them?
I would tell them to surround
themselves with people who believe in
them, believe in themselves and chase
their dreams. Anything is possible if you
work hard and want it bad enough.
8
9

SENIOR ATHLETE PROFILE
NAME:
CLUB:
DISCIPLINE:
AISLING GRIFFIN
N/A
FREESTYLE
& PADDLESURF
When did you start paddling?
First got a taste for kayaking when I was
growing up in scouts. It was when I moved
to Mayo to study Outdoor Education in
GMIT when I really got the bug. River
kayaking was what it was all about then.
Paddling rivers like the Bundorcha and
the Deel and many more really gave me a
strong foundation.
How did you get involved with paddling
and in particular the two dynamic styles
you’re involved with?
For the first number of years it was all
about river kayaking. But waiting for
enough rain for the rivers to run can be
frustrating. One particularly dry winter I
decided to give a surf kayak a go. I had
been in surf a bit in a playboat, but
nothing can compare to a surf boat. The
sheer speed, smoothness and glide as
you ride a wave. Nothing beats that
feeling. Shortly after this got myself a
second- hand surf boat. In Ireland we are
blessed we live in a country with world
class surf. This means regular trips to the
beach with ample time to get loads of fun
surf sessions in.
Originally got a playboat to try get some
more time on the water and get my boat
controls skills up. Just dabbled a bit for
the first while just going every now and
then. Upon my return to University to
complete a Masters in Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) study meant
less time for paddling. I could not really
justify paddling in Kerry for the day. So, I
often found myself at Cork weir fitting in
a quick freestyle session before or after
lectures.
What are your achievements to date?
4 th in Long surf boat at Worlds 2017
1 st in Womens HP Irish Open 2017
1 st in Womens HP & IC British Open
2015
1 st Womens HP British Open 2015
Irish Team member for freestyle since
2012 and Surf Kayaking since 2010
What are your interests outside of
Freestyle and Paddlesurf?
Hmm is there life outside of paddling? I
work full time as a GIS Support Analyst
with KOREC Group. Lucky for me this
gives me opportunity to fit some
kayaking sessions in different part of the
country after a day’s training on site. I
also do a bit of hillwalking with scouts as
part of the Sionnach team. We run three
hillwalking weekends in the Autumn and
a week in Kerry at Easter. During the
winter like to head to the mountains on a
snowboarding trip.
How do you see Paddlesurf
progressing in Ireland?
I think we have shown by our results at
the last two worlds that the sky is the
limit. We live in country with a perfect
training ground. But on that note,
everything goes through a cycle.
Paddle surf is run by a voluntary
committee like all the disciplines, so
can be a challenge trying to balance
work, family, friends, training and on top
of that trying to run events. With the
rise of companies producing surf
kayaks there is a better range to suit all
types of paddlers. Due to this I see an
increase in new boats been bought and
seconds hand boats being sold as a
result. It is great to see as it means the
sport is growing. As well as everyone
competing there are many groups
scattered around Ireland surfing away.
How does someone get involved with
Paddlesurf?
There are a number events over the
year so simply come along. The surf
environment is very dynamic, so it
would be recommended that you have
some kayaking experience. We recently
had our summer sessions meet up. Best
way to keep up to date is through the
Paddlesurf Ireland Facebook page.
Which sporting athlete inspires
you the most and why?
Sally Fitzgibbon pro surfer
She is a professional surfer on the
World Surf League. She was Junior
world champion and has come second
three times in the race for the World
Title. Despite all this she as any true
champion continues to compete
with positive humble happy can-do
attitude. This clearly shined though in
her surfing.
What is your current training
schedule?
Currently I am preparing for the
Europeans in freestyle and some surf
competitions in the Autumn. I paddle
about 4 to 5 times a week between surf
and freestyle. I also add in two strength
and conditions sessions a week. Along
with attending Pilates with Pilatesbody
to keep the body moving.
What is the best coaching advice
you have received?
To review your session and to focus on
what you are doing right instead of
beating yourself up about what went
wrong. Nothing exciting happens in your
comfort zone meaning if you
continuously train with in your comfort
zone there will be no progression.
What are your future goals for you
and your paddling career?
This year I have started to reach some
goals I have set, so I would like to
continue on this path. My future goals
would be to continue to progress and to
enjoy getting on the water as much as
possible.
How do you wind down after a
solid days training or competing?
Mostly its food time with friends with a
good chat and a laugh about what
happened on the water. I also like to
review the sessions and this year I have
started to use the coach wheel which
helps you track your progress for each
of the different skills.
If you could offer advice to young
aspiring Freestyle paddlers or
Paddlesurfers reading this,
what would you tell them?
Go out there on the water and enjoy it.
Remember everyone learns at different
levels if you see others progressing
quicker just keep on going trust the
process. Nothing can beat actual time
on the water. Just enjoy it, wear your ear
plugs and stay safe.
10
11

PADDLEFEST, THE STORY SO FAR
Boats and Downriver racers. You have to edge
the same, the stroke is the same. Happy days.
Marathon paddling on the open sea! Big
waves like in a river! Sustained adrenaline, the
constant changing scenery, wildlife, caves, I
am so there!
You put all of these adaptive and honed skills
that you have learnt from all the aspects of
kayaking and canoeing, put them in a washing
machine and turn it on, full spin. The result is
the physical torque and power of the Freestyle
discipline, 0 to 100kph in three seconds.
Thankfully for me I had a little bit of knowledge
and muscle memory from the other
disciplines, and so when I got into the washing
machine and went for a spin, I survived, a little
bruised, colour faded but all in one piece.
Whilst learning to cartwheel I heard the
expression ‘double pump’ I asked for
clarification on this and was told that it is how
you use your feet to transfer the energy from
the paddle pushing the hull. I thought to
myself, this is nothing new to me, I do this all
the time on the horizontal plane when I’m in my
river boat, a skill which I took from my marathon
days.
competitive spectrum. They are members of
WWKC, thepathway works.
Around 2007 I was introduced to Lar Burke,
who had taken over from John Healy as the
junior officer in WWKC. The juniors were
heading away on the annual junior weekend
away, and if memory serves me right, they were
heading surfing in Sligo. The following year, Lar
was arranging the weekend away and having
knowledge of the Hidden Valley site in
Wicklow, I suggested that he try there for a
change. I was there for the weekend and
following a marathon river trip with Canadians
and river boats, seven hours in total, I began to
think.
Following that weekend, the concept of
Paddlefest began to form in my mind, drawing
from years of experience and seeing how this
would be beneficial to the juniors, I
approached Lar with the Paddlefest concept.
From the early days we knew that this was
bigger than us both, it was bigger than WWKC,
and this would have great benefits for all
juniors from all clubs. Whilst Lar undertook the
Administration side and I looked after the
operational side of things, the success or
failure would depend on the input of the many
volunteers that so kindly gave up their free
time.
Paddlefest is bigger than two people, it is
bigger than one club, Paddlefest is a
combination of a lot of factors and people
coming together to help develop the sport, to
learn from each other in a controlled and safe
fashion and to take things to a new level. The
ramifications of Paddlefest will leave a legacy
on the paddlers of the future, it is up to you to
continue the legacy.
The benefits of cross training between
disciplines is of vital importance to the overall
development of the sport of canoeing and to
the paddler as a whole. Failure to acknowledge
this will result in a lot of paddlers failing to
achieve their maximum potential and
development.
Herein lies the Origin of Paddlefest
words by
Pl D≠lly
I have been involved in kayaking for a number
of years and have revelled in the growth and
development of the sport over those years.
One of the great things about this sport is its
diversity but, one of the worst things is also
that diversity. As the sport has grown, the
specialisation in one discipline has become
the norm. Some paddlers have heard of other
aspects of the sport but never tried it. I know of
many a paddler that has played Canoe Polo
and has never sat in a river boat. This analogy
can be used for many paddlers across all
spectrums of the sport.
This lack of exposure has limited many a
paddler without them realising it. Paddlers can
excel in their field by constantly training in that
field and not trying anything else. However, if
that paddler was to be exposed to another
aspect of paddling, they will learn something,
they may even enjoy that exposure and
broaden their horizons, either way they will
bring back key elements from that exposure
which will help them improve in their chosen or
original discipline.
When I first started to paddle, my background
was from Schools Canoeing. Here I was
exposed to Marathon Boats where I learnt the
power of a good stroke in a Marathon Boat.
Developing from here I competed in schools
Slalom, honing my edging, sweeps, steering
strokes, power strokes on the straight and
adapting them for white water, learnt how to
read the water and pick lines. As an offshoot of
this I took up white water kayaking and used
the skills I had learnt from those disciplines on
a white water river. I then joined a Canoe polo
team called Dolphins and every skill that I had
developed was tested to the Max, under
pressure, especially recovery strokes, rolling,
turning in confined areas, all this whilst trying
to pass a ball. Pressure indeed
Whilst still messing around in competition
boats, I decided to try downriver racing boats,
even competing in a Lower Liffey ranking race,
didn’t place anywhere but, great fun. Whilst I
was dabbling with the Wavehopper at the time,
which was the only WWR boat that I could get
my hands on or afford, the realisation of the
skill that I had drawn from other elements of
the sport became very apparent. This is where
the original thinking behind Paddlefest began.
At this time I had also taken on Open Boating
and the old saying of ‘half the paddle and twice
the man’ is true in open boating, brute force
and ignorance will get you nowhere fast you
have to use the flow so much more to steer
those beautiful boats. When you paddle one of
these craft in a straight line, the angle of
attack of the blade shaft is reminisce of a
marathon stroke, yet when you want to turn
you really have to get your sweeps like in a river
boat.
A friend of mine introduced me to Sea
kayaking and it was like a kickback to my
school years. They handle like Marathon
The concept of Paddlefest is to try and expose
young paddlers to the disciplines, and to try
and impinge on them the diversity of the sport
but, also how all of the aspects of the sport are
interconnected and help them overall to
tweak, tune and hone certain skills in isolation
and then bring them back to their chosen area.
Remember, from a recreational stance, the
more honed your skill and strokes, the more
enjoyable the experience. From a competitive
stance, the difference between first and
second place, winning the sprint at the start of
a match, making that split wheel could be as
little as a 100th of a second or having a more
effective stroke. This extra edge can be
achieved by diversifying your training and
honing a skill that you can practice in isolation
in another discipline. ‘The proof is in the
pudding’.
In 2004, I began to get involved with the
juniors in Wild Water Kayak Club through the
pool sessions. At that time working with John
Healy, we ran pool sessions right through the
winter months right up to March 2005. During
those sessions the emphasis was on basic
strokes. It didn’t matter so much if the stroke
worked properly, just once it was technically
sound. From March, the students worked with
coaches like Martin McCarthy, Colm Ryan
and Adrian Barber, all respected coaches in
their disciplines. The students were exposed
to all aspects of the sport over the summer
months. They where exposed to boating and
surfing too and all of this combined has laid
the foundation for the next generation of
Athletes. You only have to look at some of our
national team members across the
12
13

PADDLES UP!
A GREAT SUCCESS FOR 2018
CLONMEL SLALOM RACE
DIV 1 & 2 AND OPEN
JUNE 10th 2018 - WHAT A DAY!
The ‘Paddles-Up’ programme was a huge success this year. The programme which is aimed at transition year students and funded
by Waterways Ireland took place in Vicarstown on the Grand Canal, Lough Derg and Drumshanbo from Acres Lake to Leitrim Village.
The ‘Paddles Up’ programme was an initiative
developed jointly by Waterways Ireland and
Canoeing Ireland. Over the years the
programme has increased in participation with
this year being the largest event to date.
This year’s success was in no small part down
to the involvement of a number of Local
Sports Partnerships - Leitrim Sports
Partnership, Cavan Sports Partnership,
Longford Sports Partnership, and Tipperary
Sports Partnership all got involved in
providing training for their respective
transition year groups. This year for the first
time and with the help of Canoeing Ireland
Stradbally/Vicarstown sports hub also got
involved, with their training taking place on the
Grand Canal.
Each region then held a finals day event on a
designated Blueway bringing transition years
from across Ireland together to experience
a fun day out on the water in a safe and
fun environment.
Paddles Up event coordinator, James O Reilly
has been involved with the programme since
its inception.
“Paddles Up is a great example of how several
agencies with the same focus can work
together to create a very positive event. It’s a
simple format that works well. Next year I
believe it could be bigger again with more
Sports Partnerships getting involved. It’s a
fantastic way to expose teenagers to the
world of canoeing and kayaking while seeing
some of the most beautiful waterways Ireland
has to offer”
A huge thank you to Damien McWeeney at
Waterways Ireland for his help and drive to get
this event off the ground again this year. We’re
looking forward to next year already.
For more information on the Paddles
Up programme email Jon at
development@canoe.ie
or James at support@canoe.ie
IRISH CANOE SLALOM
FLAT WATER RACE SERIES
AND UPCOMING SLALOM EVENTS
Each summer most of our Slalom Paddlers go abroad to race in ECA races, World Cups,
European Club races to paddle on White water!
So with that, this is our time to work on flat water and get the young and old out to
compete and have fun while learning how to negotiate those slalom gates! It is fun and
a lot is learned at the same time!
We want to thank Kilcullen, Tullow and Ribbontail Canoe Clubs and Slalom Parents for
helping run these races!
So far in this series 4 races have been held with 2 more races to follow! Overall Awards
will be given after the Series has finished!
5th ---Coming on 12th of August at Tullow Kayak Club
6th ---Coming on 8th of October at Ribbontail Canoe Club
Also Div 1 & 2 and open race back in Clonmel on the 9th of September 2018
Follow Irish Canoe slalom on Facebook for event notices
- Irish Canoe Slalom Committee
Great racing down in Clonmel back in June. Many of our Slalom Paddlers had already
gone abroad for the start of the racing season and some were sitting their exams but
with that all in hand, the GP Paddling community came out in forces! What a great time
was had as they all negotiated the gates!
Having held national squad training in Clonmel, we know it is a great facility. It’s easy to
appreciate the physical infrastructure but when you see the large pool of young talent
out enjoying themselves on the course it really is amazing. Well done to everyone who
has supported this course and invested so much in making Clonmel a great destination
for canoeing.
We look forward to going back over the summer and based on the skill on show
yesterday we can’t wait to see the developments that are sure to come!!
Well done Everyone!
Canoeing Ireland Tipperary Sports Partnership Clonmel Canoe Club
14
15

MARATHON WORLD CUP VIANA DO CASTELO
MEET THE MARATHON
WORLD CUP TEAM
Junior Girls
Kate Mccarthy
Aine White
Junior Boys
Ronan Foley
Odhran Henson
Matthew McCartney
Oisin Mullingan
Cormac Slattery
Pictured: Ronan Foley crowned European Canoe Marathon champion
The team for this world cup was going to be the biggest Ireland has seen in a long time. It was also
going to be a first for many of the athletes, and as you could expected a great buzz around the camp for
this reason.
The athletes arrived to the course on
Thursday Morning giving them a day to
prepare the boats from nelo before the short
course racing would begin, and get out on the
river and give the boats the once over and
making sure they were comfortable with the
boats and learn what they could over the
course.
The course was very changeling with changing
currents and wind, with low tide making the
portage nearly double the Length for the
junior girls then it was for the senior men
racing at high tide. This was also going to
make for different paddling lines due to the
tide times for each class.
First up racing was Brian O’Neil and Barry
Watkins in the heat of the senior men’s short
course. The short course consist of 3 short
laps and 2 portages as you can imagine it is
madness at best! The junior races were put
into a straight final due to the numbers
competing in this distance. Which in fairness
to the juniors it gave them a chance to realise
how fast paced this event would be and what
little time there is for mistakes. Back to the
race Brian and Barry were in the same heat
and it was fair to say Barry easily paddled
through to the final with 1-6 going straight
through. Sadly Brian had a bad start which
cost him his chance of making it through to
Saturday Final, but he experienced his first
International race and took a lot from it.
Saturday Morning would see Kate and Aine up
first in the junior girls again this was their first
Senior Men
Brian O’Neill
Barry Watkins
Masters
Declan Halton
Team manager/ Coach
Jonathan Simmons
experience of International racing! And the
sense of nerves and excitement before the
start was clearly obvious. Kate got off to a
great start and found herself fighting it up with
the British girls who would go on to claim all 3
medals, sadly the pace was too much and
eventually fell of the washes, meanwhile Aine
didn't have the best start but pushed on to the
finish. Kate took 6th place while Aine not far
behind finished 7th, very credible results for
these girls racing their first big race.
Junior boys up next, as for the girls it was
going to be a first for everyone here except for
Ronan Foley. The juniors all seemed excited
and ready to give the best for this race! So off
they went and as expected Ronan was
showing his form and pushing hard to
eventually take the win with very clean race
with smooth portages, Meanwhile in the next
group and not far behind was Oisin Mullingan,
This young man was paddling very well and
mixing it up in his group chasing the leaders
hard, then not too far behind Oisin was
Matthew, Odhran and Cormac. Sadly
Matthew took a swim on the turn costing him
his race but this was only going to make him
stronger. The others were all working well in
their groups and ended up not too far behind
one another. The results were to be as follows:
Ronan Foley 1st, Oisin Mullingan 12th, Odhran
Henson 13th and Cormac Slattery 14th.
Next up senior men’s Short course Final. This
was going to be the most intense and exciting
race of the day. Barry, one of the race
favourites got of the start line very well and
found himself in the front group, very clean
and dominant portages saw him break away
with 3 others making a very fast and strong
group of 4. After the last portage it was clear
Barry was going to get a medal we just weren’t
sure what colour it would be, with all the team
going mad, Barry Eventually finished a solid
second place!
Declan Halton would be finishing up the day
with his Masters race, This would be a full
course and not the short. In a very strong field
and high entries Declan had a great start and
saw himself in the front group. When he
eventually made the top turn it was clear
something was wrong, due to the change in
tides there was now 3ft waves and this was not
favourable conditions for Declan. Sadly he
dropped down the field on the way back to the
portage area. It was fair to say Declan was
struggling, but he was never one to give up and
worked hard for rest of the race and finished a
very credible 5th in his category.
So Team Ireland finishing up the day with 1 gold
and 1 silver. Ireland proving what can be done
and showing that they are a team to feared!
These are very promising results and brought
a real attitude change to the team for the
following races.
Sunday Long course and final day!
Sunday at the world cup is now when the long
course takes part and what Marathon
Canoeing is well known for. The Marathon
world cup has been opened up for the purpose
of numbers so that every nation can enter as
many paddlers as they wish. With this in mind
Portugal and Spain were using this as a
chance to put their full squad out and the
Portuguese used it as their National
Championships. So all of a sudden the entries
had gone through the roof and we had very
exciting races ahead of us.
Junior Girl’s Long course- 5 laps, 4 portages, 1
small lap
So as the previous day the junior girls were up
first. A very early start for Aine and Kate.
Conditions were interesting at best. The tide
was so Low that the finish bouys actually had a
beach between them and were no longer
floating. It was worrying if the Federation had
not predicted there being such a low tide. But
off the girls went and it was clear it was a much
better start for Aine then yesterday and Kate
fighting again with the British. But now there
was a lot more girls in the race making it more
interesting for them a using markers all the
way. It was gutsy performances from both
Girls and they truly gave their best till the end
and especially with the length of the portage.
Kate ended up 9th and Aine 12th very credible
results in their first marathon world cup.
Junior boy’s long course- 6 laps, 5 portages, 1
small lap.
The junior boy’s race would have 80
competitors on the start line, something that
the sport has not seen at a world cup in a very
long time if ever. With this in mind the start
was very nerve wrecking, not only for the
competitors but for spectators. Our juniors
boys did not show the same nerves today and
before we knew it they were off. Ronan Foley
was very strong and showing yet again he
wanted to make it clear he's here for the gold
medal. The other boys had much better starts
and Matthew was out to show what he should
have done yesterday. Matt was working very
well in a group of 5 and always making sure he
was on a comfortable wash in that group,
Mean while Oisin, Odhran were battling it in
much larger groups and it was clear the
washing machine effect (changes of wash)
was going to go on for a long time, they would
have to push their limits to hang in with the
groups they were in. Sadly Cormac was
struggling with portages and had to withdraw
when he jumped out at the portage and locked
his knee.
As the portages went by it was clear Ronan
was in another league and broke the leading
group down to himself and a British athlete,
then on the final portage he drove it on again
and broke the British athlete to find himself
with a strong lead and came away with another
World Cup gold!
16
17

Matthew was the next Irish athlete in a very
strong 16th place and continued to show
strong form, Oisin 33rd after battling it around
and Odhran 45th working hard till the end and
picking athletes of as he went through the
race.
Senior Men Long course- 8 laps, 7 portages, 1
small lap
The last race of the weekend and Brian O’Neil
was out to make up for the bad start of the
short course! Meanwhile Barry was out to get
on that podium again after yesterday super
performance.
The start line again was a sight to be seen with
84 seniors on the line, just typing the number
doesn't do it justice, it was truly a sight to be
seen!
The Conditions were challenging at best. So
off they went and Barry in Strong form took to
the front, Brian was fighting in the third group
and to be in a third group of that numbers is
very credible! As the race went on it was clear
that spray decks and working foot pumps were
a must, Brian sadly took a swim on the 5th lap
and this saw him withdraw. The conditions
were getting very bad at this point. Barry
somehow clipped his spray deck off on the 4th
portage and this was far from ideal… the next
lap at the top turn would see Barry sink,
conditions were too bad just to rely on a pump
at this point. Barry got back in and came away
with an impressive 10th place!
On a summary of the event Coach Jon
Simmons said
“I am Delighted to see such a large team, It
truly was a great atmosphere and of course
the results of both Barry and Ronan boosted
this spirit even more. I believe in the next
coming years the sport will be in an even
stronger place and with the season only
beginning one can only be excited for what the
future can bring. For the juniors who had their
first taste of racing it was brilliant, it was clear
they were all nervous but this is a sign that
they care and want to succeed. They truly did
both club and country proud. I would like to
thank the parents for supporting them and
helping the athletes make it this far as I know
we don't say it enough! Here is to the future
and more podium finishes”.
MAYOR OF GALWAY LAUNCHES
WATERSPORTS INCLUSION GAMES 2018
On Friday 25th May 2018, the Mayor of Galway,
Pearce Flannery and Hildegarde Naughton T.D.,
launched the Watersports Inclusion Games, an
event celebrating Sailing, Rowing and Canoeing
for people of all abilities from the physical,
sensory, intellectual and learning spectrums,
and of all ages and demographics. The games,
which will take place in Galway City on 25th and
26th August, were launched with Paralympian
Sailor John Twomey, World Para-¬‐Sailor Gina
Griffin, along with Special Olympian Kayaker Ian
Staunton.
Following the success of the inaugural games
held in Dun Laoghaire last year, this year’s event
will take place at two venues in Galway city. The
spectacular setting of the Commercial Boat
Club on the River Corrib at Woodquay will be the
venue for the taster activities offered in a variety
of watersports disciplines (including sailing,
canoeing, rowing and boat trips). In tandem with
this, Galway Bay Sailing Club, operating from
Galway docks, will host two Sailability Ireland
(disabled sailing) National Championships
which will see competitive racing running on
Galway Bay.
This event will follow a nationwide schedule of
inclusion training and awareness drives activated
by the organising bodies, Irish Sailing in
association with Rowing Ireland, Canoeing
Ireland, Galway Local Sports Partnership and
supported by Spinal Injuries Ireland. The
kayaking, sailing and rowing clubs of Galway,
together with local scout groups and other
clubs and organizations from around the
country, will support the event with resources
and inclusion trained volunteers, instructors
and facilitators who will host activities which will
be specially adapted for all abilities. The games
and its initiatives are enabled by grant funding
from Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts Sports
Inclusion Fund.
Speaking at the launch, 11 times Paralympian
John Twomey said: ’I am delighted to be here to
help launch the 2018 Inclusion Games. It is
events such as this that will help to inspire
people of all abilities to take part in watersports
activity and perhaps even one day compete for
Ireland in Paralympic sport.’
Harry Hermon, Chief Executive of Irish Sailing
spoke at the launch, stating: ‘Now in its second
year, the Inclusion Games is already becoming
an annual landmark occasion, celebrating
inclusive watersports activity. By raising national
awareness of inclusive opportunities, and
encouraging more training centres and
watersports providers to adopt an equal-¬‐access
approach to watersports delivery, we aim to
perpetuate a culture of inclusive best-¬‐practice
throughout watersports.’
IRISH CANOE SLALOM TEAM
SELECTIONS FOR 2018
We have finalized our Canoe Slalom Teams for the 2018 Season. We wish everyone the very best
of paddling in their upcoming Races.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS PRAGUE
Men’s K1
Samuel Curtis
Ali McCreery
Noel Hendrick
Men’s C1
Women’s C1
Liam Jegou
Robert Hendrick
Jake Cochrane
Caoimhe O’Ferrall
WORLD CUP NO.1 LIPTOVSKY
Men’s K1
Samuel Curtis
Eoin Teague
Ali McCreery
Men’s C1
Liam Jegou
Jake Cochrane
WORLD CUP NO.2 KRAKOW,
POLAND GERMANY
Men’s K1
Samuel Curtis
Eoin Teague
Ali McCreery
Men’s C1
Women’s K1
Women’s C1
Liam Jegou
Robert Hendrick
Jake Cochrane
Aisling Conlan
Caoimhe O’Ferrall
WORLD CUP NO.3 AUGSBURG
Men’s K1
Samuel Curtis
Noel Hendrick
Elliott Davidson
Men’s C1
Women’s K1
Women’s C1
Liam Jegou
Robert Hendrick
Aisling Conlan
Caoimhe O’Ferrall
WORLD CUP NO.4 TACEN
D’URGELL, SPAIN
Men’s K1
Noel Hendrick
Sean Ansell
Oisin Farrell
WORLD CUP NO. 5 SEU
Men’s K1
Samuel Curtis
Eoin Teague
Ali McCreery
Men’s C1
Women’s K1
Women’s C1
Liam Jegou
Robert Hendrick
Jake Cochrane
Aisling Conlan
Hannah Craig
Caoimhe O’Ferrall
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
RIO, BRAZIL
Men’s K1
Eoin Teague
Ali McCreery
Cade Ryan
Men’s C1
Liam Jegou
Jake Cochrane
WORLD U23 & JUNIOR
CHAMPIONSHIPS IVREA, ITALY
U23 Men’s K1 Eoin Teague
Ali McCreery
Noel Hendrick
U23 Men’s C1
U23 Women’s K1
U23 Women’s C1
Junior Men’s K1
Junior Men’s C1
Liam Jegou
Robert Hendrick
Jake Cochrane
Ciara Farrell
Caoimhe O’Ferrall
Tom Morely
Ethan Dowling
Adam Vaugh
Sean McLarnon
James Gibbons
18
19

FREESTYLE WORLD CUP SORT, SPAIN
NUMB LEGS AND WHY DO WE GET
THEM WHEN WE ARE PADDLING?
The Freestyle World Cups were highly anticipated with paddlers from 3 continents travelling to the
Noguera Pallaresa River in Sort, Spain.
Excitement was building up in the Irish camp
to the World Cups with a European tour to
prepare. Tom Dunphy kicked off the good
results in the south of France making it
through Prelims at the Makinito contest in
second place just behind eventual winner
Tomasz Czaplicki. The finals didn't go to plan
but the rest of the field walked away knowing
the Irish had arrived.
The Natural Games followed but the narrow
feature was tough and the Irish team's lack of
competition experience mixed with too many
flushes led to an early exit for the team. At
least they were knocked out just before the
best night of the festival.
World Cup 1 in Spain kicked off a day after the
festival so not many paddlers had worked the
big feature out. Tom Dunphy and Lucien
Schreiber managed some respectable rides
but just like the top contenders Quim Fontane
and Dane Jackson the scores would be
laughable in another feature. The feature was
river wide with a big foam pile but the green
water flowing into it was hard to plug in, making
simple moves difficult. One Irish paddler
epitomised the difficulty of the feature, David
McClure blazed a trail and finished 35th, only
just scoring a front loop in each ride.
Fortunately there was another world cup in the
same feature to dampen spirits more. The
night before the second world cup McClure
made a call to scrap his Jackson Rockstar for
a boat with more volume to try and salvage a
good result. Paddling in the GUI GUI Test boat
made a huge difference allowing for huge and
clean front Loops and Mcnasties. McClure
qualified for the cut to 20 in 5th place with two
500 point rides. Dunphy awaited anxiously
not really expecting to make the cut with a lot
more paddlers to go. He went through in 17th
then pulled off a great result in the quarters
reaching the top 10. McClure dropped a spot
to 6th putting the Irish into the same heat in
the semis. Both knew it would be tough to
qualify with the likes of World Champs Dane,
Quim and many more top European paddlers.
With two rides Dunphy was dropped as he
struggled in the pit to set up for moves but
pulled out the biggest entry moves of the
competition. McClure struggled in his first
ride scoring only 200 points and with one ride
to go knew he needed to show up if he wanted
to break the top 5. Sliding in from the river left
below the feature he threw a Phonics monkey,
which is a pirouette on the nose followed by a
front loop. The feature is so big and powerful
the move snapped through really fast. Slowing
down he went for a switch Mcnasty then
pulled out a huge, clean Mcnasty. The huge
and clean scores are bonuses that paddlers
can do to score extra points, from a move that
scores 170 with air, the huge and clean bonus
brings the score of the move up to 230 points.
Moving around the wave trying not to hit a boil
in the water and flush he set up for a huge,
clean front flip followed by a couple of Space
Godzillas, which are a front flip but with a 90
degree twist of the boat while in the air. The
first attempt didn't score but he regained the
feature and pulled out the move again to score
800 points and put him into 2nd place just
behind current world champ Quim Fontane.
Former two time World Champ Dane Jackson
was in an unrecognizable position outside the
top 5, somewhere he's not been in since he
was a junior.
That made a finals of one Spaniard, two Polish,
one French and one Irishman. The finals took
place the same night under lights, stands were
set up on both sides of the river and the
atmosphere was intense. On the water the
paddlers could barely see into the stands at
fans only meters away but the Irish fans still
managed to standout from the noise. For the
finals each paddler got three rides but only the
best ride counted. McClure's first ride went to
plan but speaking to him after he would have
gone for a more competitive first ride, his aim
for the ride had been just to loosen up in the
wave and prepare for the following two rides.
Dropping in from above with a back deck roll
entry move he slipped into a Pirouette but
caught his edge and fell over twice looking for
the move, coming up calmly he accepted this
wasn't his ride to win and set up to practice a
few moves for the two rides to come. Going for
Mcnasties both ways, followed by a huge front
flip to finish his ride, as he landed he was
blinded by the lights and suddenly fell back off
the wave before he could realise where he was.
The ride scored 460, proving to be his best
ride. He had a strong second run pulling off a
Phonics Monkey and Lunar Orbit, a 180 spin
around the tail of the boat followed by a back
flip, then flushed on a Mcnasty. Unfortunately
though the ride felt good the angles of the
movements were off and didn't meet the
definitions. The third ride was more of the
same, hoping for a repeat of the semis, but
from the first move it was clear it wasn't to be
with the pirouette of the Phonics again below
45 degrees. Despite his best efforts McClure
placed 4th. The champagne was opened after
anyways! Tomasz Czaplicki walked away with
the top honours proving the most adaptable to
the feature winning both World Cups.
The results from this summer marks a huge
improvement on the Irish Freestyle scene
that's been building over the last two years,
The senior men's category has stepped up in
skill level and it's showing now with Tom
Dunphy and David McClure's results, it won't
be long till there are 5 Irishmen in the top 20
and hopefully with it we will see some Irish
women breaking onto the top of the freestyle
scene with Aoife Hanrahan leading the way.
Still to go are the European Championships in
Bratislava, Slovakia taking place from the 14th
to the 19th of August. Hopefully we will see
more than one Irish paddler in the top five.
Numb legs when paddling is one of the most
common problems encountered by those
participating in the sport.
The problem can be present no matter what
type of kayaking you do and may be due to the
default position you are in and also how you
are using your legs whilst in the boat.
In order to be able to use your legs, you will
need to have your footrest at the correct
distance.
In a kayak, the ideal distance for your footrest
is so that your feet touch the footrest with
your legs slightly bent and your knees pointing
to the outside and wedged against the inside
of the kayak. The more aggressively you want
to paddle the tighter the fit. Legs fully
extended at the bottom of the boat need to be
avoided as this will definitely bring on
numb legs.
These sensations are caused mainly by
compression of the Sciatic nerve or of one of
its associated neural pathways e.g. the
tibial nerve.
The nerve is put under excessive stress, strain
or compression, a bit like a pull on a woolly
jumper or an over extended electrical wire. This
could be as a result of the seated position in
the boat, the position of the legs in the boat or
the seated posture in the boat e.g. if
excessively slumped and unable to maintain a
good position because of tight hamstrings
nerves and weak core muscle groups.
The Sciatic Nerve starts life at the base of the
back, coming as a branch off the spinal cord
and running down the back of the hip (bum),
down the back of the leg as far as the foot
where it splits off into smaller branches.
Anywhere along this route has potential for
compression leading to the feeling of
numbness or pins and needles.
Specific nerve stretches and nerve
mobilisation techniques as carried out by
physiotherapists can help to alleviate this
compression and thereby relief the symptoms
for the athlete. Stretches to tight muscles as
diagnosed on clinical exam by a Chartered
Physiotherapist, that they are specific to the
problem will also help to treat the symptoms. It
is advisable to have a proper clinical exam so
that the rehab programme can be specific to
the paddler, as each person is different and
their area of tightness can vary.
Once symptoms have settled, usually after 6
weeks it is just a matter of maintaining the
flexibility of these structures so as not to let
the problem slide and return once again.
Oh ∓n
MISCP
www.orlaghsampson.com
Competing at the European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, 14th - 19th August
Senior Men
David McClure
Tom Dunphy
Billy Brett
Cathal Kelly
Senior Women
Aisling Griffen
Junior’s
Aleksei Mzhavhev
Cian Butterfly
C1
Danny O’Brien
Alan Murphy
20
21

CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF IRELAND
WITH MICHAEL O’FARRELL
During the Summer of 2017 I set off from Bulloch Harbour, Dalkey, to paddle solo around Ireland by sea
Kayak and raise funds for two charities - Pieta House (suicide awareness) and the RNLI (saving lives
at sea).
When I started at Bulloch Harbour, on the 1st May, I headed north on my counter-clockwise circumnavigation and I was
accompanied by an escort party from the East Coast Sea Kayaking Club (ECSKC). I suppose they were only making sure
that I was following through on my plans.
What inspired/motivated you to hop in your kayak and circumnavigate Ireland?
What drove this circumnavigation was a combination of hearing of others doing it and a wish to see the coastline of Ireland
'from the outside'. It was also on my 'bucket list’:
· In my 40(+) years paddling I have occasionally thought about it, and
· Since the first circumnavigation in 1978 more than 70 people have paddled around Ireland (mostly clockwise and
in teams).
How long have you been kayaking for?
I started kayaking in 1974 on the river Liffey (with Wild Water Kayak Club) and most of my kayaking has been on rivers as a
member of Kilcullen Canoe Club (KCC) where there is a strong tradition of long distance river racing. I took up sea kayaking
when I joined East Coast Sea Kayaking club (ECSKC) in 2005. Since I started sea kayaking I got to see and appreciate a
lot of the Irish coastline but there are huge gaps. This circumnavigation was to be a chance to fill in those gaps.
Tell me about the fund raising events, where did you have them and who helped out?
Fund-raising for this circumnavigation started in March, when I appealed for donations that kicked off the fundraising with
€200.
23

My employer, AIB, was very supportive of my
adventure with unpaid leave and hosted a
cake sale in support of my charities. With
family help we hosted a Tea Party at home in
Newbridge where we roped in friends,
neighbours, and any kayakers living nearby to
have a cuppa and hear the plans.
These activities were highly successful and
since then, donations have continued to be
made by cash and online from work
colleagues, neighbours, kayakers, former
colleagues and people I met along the way –
literally. I had impromptu donations may by
random strangers when they heard my story.
“I INTERRUPTED A
SEAL DINING ON
AN OCTOPUS”
handheld VHF radio and a PLB. A PLB
(Personal Locator Beacon) is a small device
that would alert rescue services giving my
location if activated. The radio and PLB were
attached to my lifejacket.
Twice I encountered dolphins, pair of common
Dolphins in Antrim and a less common Rissos
Dolphin in North Mayo.
I came across loads of seals but no basking
sharks or whales were sighted – this may have
been down to lower than average sea
temperatures during May & June and the fact
that kayakers haven't got a high enough
viewing platform to spot others.
I did see a sun-fish and interrupted a seal off
the Wicklow coast as he was dining on an
octopus (the meal was so big that the seal had
to surface to eat it).
Any comments on preparation?
In the previous year I prepared by doing some
long canal runs and some marathon races
and I did some sea training in Dublin Bay
during the month before starting off. In the
previous Summer I went on a week-long sea
trip with friends. This meant that I had a
routine, knew the essential items to bring and
had the confidence to tackle the journey.
I went along to a physiotherapist
(DublinPhysio), to get checked out and did
some flexibility / conditioning training they
recommended.
I also got support Colm in iCanoe and Des
Keaney with some invaluable items of kit. The
sea is tough environment and quality
equipment was important.
Did you have any problems during the trip
itself?
Mentally I felt great during the trip and was
pleasantly surprised at the distances I
managed to cover – I had planned on covering
40Km per day and after the first week I was
clocking more than 50Km on successive
days.
Physically I picked up minor ailments
(niggles) and, while these niggles were always
a source of worry, they never developed into
problems. Often the niggles would go away to
be replaced by others the following day. At
least it gave me something to be thinking
about on the water.
that I was making enough progress to get out
of it.
During the trip I bumped into other
circumnavigators going the other way. I met
Caoimhe Connors on two occasions, initially
at Clogherhead on the first day of her trip and
again on the Dingle peninsula - both were
during stormy conditions. I also met Julian
Haines, another ECSKC paddler in Co Clare,
by appointment! A bit of forward
communications was necessary as I know it is
was easy to miss another kayaker while
passing in the same bay!
The people I met along the way on land and at
sea were the greatest tonic.
My daily travels were tracked on Endomondo,
a phone app which pushed a report to
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/seascrapes
Colleagues and club mates from ECSKC and
KCC tracked my circumnavigation and
regularly sent texts and comments on
Facebook/twitter.
My wife comprised the backup team and met
me at weekends. I also got (and used) many
offers of accommodation along the way. In
fact I only spent one third of my time 'under
canvas', the rest being in B&B or put up by
friends along the way.
Every person I met en-route was encouraging
and many made on the spot donations to the
two charities Pieta House and the RNLI.
What food did you bring and what kind of
safety equipment did you bring? What
came in handy?
The food planning started off with much detail
– but my diet became very simple and ad hoc
as the circumnavigation progressed. It
centred on porridge, pitta bread lunch and
rice/pasta for dinner.
The core ingredients were: Porridge/dried
fruit/honey and fry ingredients for cooked
breakfast. Pitta bread, ham & cheese with tea
for two lunches. My evening dinner consisted
of pasta or rice with whatever meat was
available.
Fruit cake (e.g. Christmas cake) was a
personal favourite for lunches, dinners and
snacks. I was re-supplied with four freshly
baked cakes during the adventure (thanks
Marie Kelly!).
Protein Bars, pitta bread and daily Oranges
were used to top up energy level on long
open-sea crossings. I carried plain water in my
platypus but found that a slice of lemon made
a big difference.
Safety
In addition to flares and smoke, I carried a
I wore a long-john wetsuit and cag which was
adequate for the West coast during mid
Sumer. On some days off the East coast I had
to take off the cag to avoid overheating.
Before I set out, a family friend gave me a holy
medal and that medal also completed the
circumnavigation attached to my Lifejacket. I
was covering all options!
What is the most beautiful part of Ireland,
as viewed from the sea? Did you see many
sea creatures?!
The most memorable part was the North coast
and especially a visit to Inishtrahull Island.
The weather was beautiful at the NE corner
(Fair Head) and on the paddle to Rathlin island.
The sea was calm despite this having fast
tides (those tides had doubled the kayak's
speed to over 16kph).
Inishtrahull is the most northerly island off
Malin Head and has complex tides. It was a
first time for me to paddle out to overnight on
this uninhabited island. Inishtrahull was a big
item knocked off my bucket list.
Slieve League, Co Donegal, was beautiful as
the cliffs were lit by with the setting sun when I
paddled by.
Those days that you were in the sea, was it
lonely or boring?
Before the trip boredom was one of the things
I was worried about. That didn’t cause any
problems. My racing background meant that I
was used to going a long distance from A to B
on my own, usually after being left behind by
others. As I was going to a new destination on
each paddling day there was a sense of
anticipation each time. Plus there was some
work to be done navigating, checking winds,
charts and tides to make sure I was not
paddling into trouble.
I found the flat calm days harder (less
motivating) whereas in choppy weather I was
occupied with work to be done – paddling and
staying upright!
On two occasions I had a problem feeling
sleepy (like falling asleep at the wheel of a car
but with the risk of rolling over) so I got off the
water at the nearest beach for a 40 minute
nap. I wondered what would have happened if a
beachcomber came across this lone paddler
curled up beside his craft on a beach!
Fellow East Coast sea paddlers came along to
keep me company for two bits of the journey, in
Donegal and around Ballycotton.
I was off the water for 12 days because of bad
weather. Most of that downtime was
encountered on the South West coast. Those
days were frustrating – I was wishing to be on
the move.
There were a few 'white knuckle days' as is to
be expected on such a trip. The worst was
experienced after an 8 hour paddle past
Sheepshead when I rounded the Mizen.
There I ran into an ebbing flow and choppy
water with low energy levels as the light was
fading. There was nothing I could do but
concentrate, keep ploughing ahead and hope
What’s next ?
Since last Summer I have 'wintered well', lost
any residual long distance fitness I had and
put back on the 5 kilos that I ‘lost at sea’.
I am back on the water alternating between
ECSKC and KCC but there are no big trips
planned - for now!
I collected a total of €9,000 in donations,
and I want to thank supporters, donors and
everyone I met along the way.
24
25

PLANNING
YOUR FIRST BIG
WHITEWATER
TRIP
Colin Wong
Planning a kayaking trip is a very exciting time
for a kayaker. We look at videos, pictures we
read articles and in general get super excited
about the adventures ahead. I will never forget
my first kayaking trip: at 18 years old I went to
the White Nile in Uganda with my tent, kayak
and only $5 a day to live on. I learnt a lot from
that trip, lot’s of good, and some bad, but most
importantly I survived, kayaked everyday and
had the time of my life. Here I put together a
few points that might be helpful while you plan
your first big kayaking mission.
1.What do you want to get out of the trip
This is the first question you need to ask
yourself! Is the dream a freestyle trip, loads of
creeking, multiple first descents or do you just
want to relax and cruise down gentle class 3
river then drink a glass of wine after? This is
the most important question you need to
answer. Make sure you are very honest with
yourself so you can plan the best trip ever. Too
many times have I met people on my travels
who were with the wrong group of people (see
point 4). How you answer this question effects
everything else around the planning stage…
2.Research the best time to go
Ok, so we know that different destinations
work at different times of the year. We know
what we are looking for so how do we find out
when we should go? Here are a few ways to
start:
First of all, use your contacts… The kayaking
scene is so small that generally speaking it is
easy to get information from a kayaking
source, however we need to make sure that
this information is relevant to us. For example:
lets say your keen to go to Norway on a class 3
trip with your buddies. You go ask Johnny
Gnarly when you should go to Norway and he
turns around and says go to Voss early in the
session. Probably not going to be the best
idea following this advice. Lesson: apply the
same thinking to your contact as your team,
make sure you are both on the same page.
Other great ways to find information include
guide books and the internet (check the date
on information you find online to make sure it
is relevant). Examples of other information
that is very important to look into include: If
your going to a developing world country you
need to find out if you need vaccines, is the
political situation stable, is the currency
stable (if you ever travel with cash make sure
they are new notes and in good condition). If
you’re camping then what are the rules and so
on… Each different destination brings
different questions. Work your way through
them and enjoy the process.
Even with all this research, never forget that it
can still go wrong. I went on a creeking trip to
Kenya. We organized everything, talked to the
right people, and had masses of information
26
27

that pointed us to the perfect time to go to
Kenya. We had a mission to explore 3 different
rivers that came off Mt Kenya and a waterfall
on the Ugandan Kenyan border. We were
elated when we arrived at the first waterfall,
the water was up and we got to kayak some
real good stuff that day! But that was the end
of the exploring. We drove around Mt Kenya for
the following 3 days and got on one river that
didn't have enough water and another river
that had too many crocodiles. After that we
drove back to camp and spent the next 4 days
on the local classics. It was definitely
disappointing but still enjoyable. The lesson
here is that even with all the research in the
world your plan must remain flexible and react
to changing situations.
3. Be prepared, your gear needs to be
effective and light.
This is where the real fun begins. Getting our
kit together to face the challenges ahead is
always a really cool part of the process. You lay
it all out, you write your lists and you play out
scenarios in your head to prepare yourself.
There are a few things we need to look at
before we get ourselves ready. Firstly, Just
because your gear is right for the Irish rivers
doesn't mean it is right for your intended
paddling destination. Bring gear that is suited
to the environment and has multiple
functions. For example, a throw bag can be
used as a washing line, the sleeping bag cover
can be used as a pillow when stuffed with a
jacket, your smelly thermals can be used to
fend off (or attract, watch out!) any wild
animals while you sleep etc.
Here are a few top tips for you: first, always
have a good set of splits. Remember if you are
paddling on a river and you've managed to
break your paddle the likelihood is that you've
had a bit of a fright. Now you need to paddle
out of the river and you must be happy with the
paddle you’re going to use. Make sure you
have flashband, it is the best repair tape you
can get. I’ve seen this stuff hold cracks
together on boats for up to 3 days. Just be
aware that once it’s on there is no getting it
off! First Aid training is so important, it’s like
your split paddle, when you need it you really
need it! Make sure you’re trained for river
based incidents. Last but not least always
bring a solid water bottle with some chlorine
tablets. This is all said based on many and
varied experiences. I can remember working
for a rafting company on the Zambezi and
packing up the truck in 40 degree heat with no
water, only a cooler box full of beer and coke. In
the 9 hours it took to drive back to camp due
to the 4x4 breaking down I had drank 16 cans
of coke, didn't pee once and couldn't quench
my thirst. I would have given anything for a
mouth full of water.
4.Pick the right team
This is the most important decision that you
will make, your team they will be your lifeline.
Remember that the people you pick to go on
this trip will be responsible for making
decisions that will impact not only whether you
will enjoy the trip but maybe, from the other
end of the throwline, whether you will survive it.
Make sure that your interests align, if one of
you wants to run hard class 4 whitewater and
the other wants to relax on class 3 you’re
going to run into problems.
Establish financial expectations for the trip,
there is nothing worse than watching your
buddy wash down a really tasty pastry with a
cup of expensive coffee while you drink a cup
of oats mixed with cold water out of a water
bottle you cut into a cup. Most importantly
make sure that you trust the people your on
the river with. I will never forget the time I put
on to a section of the Little White Salmon in
Washinton with two guys who I didn't know. I
had never been on the river before and these
guys paddled it everyday as their home run. I
was following them down a hard section of
water, totally blind, and managed to drop into a
hole that was not very kind to me. I swam
around and around in it for a long time then
managed to claw my way out. I was stuck in a
gorge with no one around and my gear still in
the hole. I had to secure an anchor to the cliff
face and jump back into the hole to grab my
paddle and kayak so I could get out of there. I
joined up with the guys 2 rapids down stream
sitting in an eddy waiting for me.
In conclusion to these thoughts, remember
that planning always takes longer than
expected. If in doubt just ask someone and if
it’s an area that you’re not familiar with you can
always book a days guiding. A local kayak outfit
may well be happy to help with your planning if
you give them some business. Always
remember that the world’s coolest kayak
bases/bars/campsites/schools can only exist
with your continued support. Enjoy the river
and planning your next big adventure.
CANOEING SAYS GOODBYE
TO STALWART KRIS KOHLS
Kris Kohl’s has worked for Canoeing Ireland since 2011. She managed the
International Athletes, Accounts, Committees, Garda Vetting and Child
Protection, helped the TDO, the General Manager and did anything else that
needed doing in the office on a day to day basis. She was the queen of Junior
Liffey Descent and is the benchmark we use for the standard needed to make it
successful each year. She was a whirlwind of efficiency, sanity and joy in the
office especially close to the International Liffey Descent.
You would know her face from Canoeing Ireland events and Slalom events like
Junior Paddlefest, Cranafest and pottering around the Slalom Events
throughout the year (with two sets of glasses on her head) handing out the bibs,
doing the scoresheets, entering the timing and chasing after Riley, her dog.
Kris has handed over her last title – Designated Liaison Officer for Garda
Vetting to James O’Reilly (we wish him the best of luck in his new role).
Pictured: Colin scouting a meaty pour over
I can think of no better person to have shared this journey within Canoeing
Ireland with and we wish her all the best in the future.
Thanks,
V Guy,
Canoeing Ireland
Pictured: Kris with Canoeing Ireland CEO Paddy Boyd
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29

CLUB SPOTLIGHT
WELLNESS
ON THE WATER
Shannon Paddlers Club
Shannon Paddlers Club in O’Briensbridge Co.
Clare, opened for membership with our
inaugural paddle on Sunday 4th March 2018.
The motto of the Club is ‘Wellness on the
Water’ and our aim is to open up access to the
water to a whole segment of the population
who may not think of themselves as paddlers.
A large percentage of our members are in the
50+ age-range and have never been out on
the water before. The health benefits of being
out on the water are as much psychological
as physical – and there is an increasing body
of research which confirms the therapeutic
benefits of water-based activities. (Blue
Mind; Wallace J Nichols)
The concept of ‘Wellness on the Water’ seems
to have a huge appeal, and when people
experience the wonder and beauty of being
out on the water for the first time, there’s no
going back. The Club is going from strength to
strength, with 55 members at present and
still growing.
We have a basic requirement at entry, which is
Canoeing Ireland Level 1 Flatwater skills, and
we use sit-on-tops for this. But what we are
finding is, that once people have had regular
time on the water and completed an RSR1
course, they feel their confidence growing
and many quickly progress to Level 2. We
have run three consecutive sets of Learn to
Kayak classes at our base in O’Briensbridge,
thanks to GetWest, a local provider who helps
us to run the classes and loans us all the
boats and equipment to help us get started.
Each set of classes booked out with 16 places
and we have been asked to run classes in
other locations also as interest grows.
A central aim of the club is to remove the
barriers which prevent most people from
continuing to paddle after they complete a
set of classes. People completing Beginners
classes generally don’t have their own boats,
equipment, or roof-racks, and often don’t
have any place to store a boat.
We have just been awarded a very sizeable
grant from Leader funding, and we had a
brilliant time at ULKC trying out many
different types of boats. It looks like we’ll be
investing in a good number of creekers and
touring kayaks as well as sit-on-tops!
Our weekly club trips are getting booked out
in a couple of hours on Eventbrite and the
upcoming Canoeing Ireland/Waterways
Ireland/Blueway 10km paddle is generating a
lot of excitement in the Club. People can see
their fitness level and confidence level
growing and this is a wonderful goal to aim for
on Saturday 18th August.
Our long-term goal is to bring the concept of
‘Wellness on the Water’ to other locations.
Most of us who paddle regularly have
wondered to ourselves when we are out on
the water, where is everybody? Why aren’t
there more people doing this? Whereas the
question people often ask themselves after
finishing Learn to Kayak classes is, How can I
continue? Who will I paddle with? How will I
stay safe? Where will I get a boat etc?
Shannon Paddlers removes all these barriers.
It’s wonderful to see people who paddled for
the first time last March already progressing
and wanting to give something back, sharing
what they’ve learned with other newcomers.
We are lucky to be located on one of the most
beautiful stretches of water in the country.
Our home stretch is between Parteen Weir
and Castleconnell on the River Shannon. One
of our favourite places to go is up the old
dis-used Errinagh Canal, which is home to
kingfishers, otters and so many birds!
Going forward, we hope to invite other Clubs
to join us on our stretch of water, and we
would also love to visit Clubs in different
locations and experience the joy of being out
on the water all over the country! Check us
out of Facebook: Shannon Paddlers or email
shannonpaddlers@gmail.com
RESULTS ROUND UP
Discipline Event Category Result Athlete Location
Freestyle World Cup 2 MK1 4 David McClure Sort, Spain
Freestyle World Cup 2 MK1 10 Thomas Dunphy Sort, Spain
Freestyle World Cup 2 MK1 29 Lucien Schreiber Sort, Spain
Freestyle World Cup 1 MK1 34 David McClure Sort, Spain
Freestyle World Cup 1 MK1 13 Thomas Dunphy Sort, Spain
Freestyle World Cup 1 MK1 28 Lucien Schreiber Sort, Spain
Marathon Europeans JMk1 1 Ronan Foley Metkovic, Croatia
Marathon Europeans JMk1 13 Matthew McCartney Metkovic, Croatia
Marathon Europeans JMk2 8 Ronan Foley & Matthew McCartney Metkovic, Croatia
Marathon Europeans MK1 8 Barry Watkins Metkovic, Croatia
Marathon Europeans MK1 12 Jon Simmons Metkovic, Croatia
Marathon Europeans WK1 10 Aisling Smith Metkovic, Croatia
Marathon European Masters MK1 45-49 5 Declan Halton Metkovic, Croatia
Canoeslalom World Cup 1 C1M 38 Liam Jegou Liptovsky Mikulas (SVK)
Canoeslalom World Cup 1 C1M 41 Jake Cochrane Liptovsky Mikulas (SVK)
Canoeslalom World Cup 1 K1M 70 Sam Curtis Liptovsky Mikulas (SVK)
Canoeslalom World Cup 1 K1M 65 Alistair McCreery Liptovsky Mikulas (SVK)
Canoeslalom World Cup 1 K1M 68 Eoin Teague Liptovsky Mikulas (SVK)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 C1M 60 Liam Jegou Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 C1M 48 Robert Hendrick Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 C1M 14 Jake Cochrane Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 C1W 37 Caoimhe O'Ferrall Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 K1M 62 Sam Curtis Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 K1M 68 Alistair McCreery Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 K1M 64 Eoin Teague Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 2 K1W 45 Aisling Conlan Krakow (Pol)
Canoeslalom World Cup 3 MK1 53 Noel Hendrick Augsburg, Germany
Canoeslalom World Cup 3 MK1 58 Sam Curtis Augsburg, Germany
Canoeslalom World Cup 3 MK1 73 Sean Ansell Augsburg, Germany
Canoeslalom World Cup 3 MC1 39 Robert Hendrick Augsburg, Germany
Canoeslalom World Cup 3 WK1 50 Aisling Conlan Augsburg, Germany
Canoeslalom World Cup 3 WC1 41 Caoimhe O'Ferrall Augsburg, Germany
WWR Sprint World Champs MK1 14 Odhran McNally Muoatal Switzerland
WWR Sprint World Champs WC1 11 Maeve Martin Muoatal Switzerland
WWR Classic World Champs MK1 28 Odhran McNally Muoatal Switzerland
WWR Classic World Champs WC1 13 Maeve Martin Muoatal Switzerland
Para Canoe World Cup KL3 6 Pat O'Leary Szeged, Hungary
Para Canoe World Cup VL3 va'a semi final Pat O'Leary Szeged, Hungary
Para Canoe Europeans VL3 va'a 7 Pat O'Leary Belgrade Serbia
Para Canoe Europeans KL3 8 Pat O'Leary Belgrade Serbia
Canoe Sprint Europeans K1 1000m 8th in heat Tom Brennan Belgrade Serbia
Canoe Sprint Europeans K1 200m semi final Tom Brennan Belgrade Serbia
Canoe Sprint Europeans K1 500m semi final Jenny Egan Belgrade Serbia
Canoe Sprint Europeans K1 200m semi final Jenny Egan Belgrade Serbia
Canoe Sprint World Cup 1 K1W 5000m 11 Jenny Egan Szeged, Hungary
Canoe Sprint World Cup 1 K1W 200m C Final Jenny Egan Szeged, Hungary
Canoe Sprint World Cup 1 K1W 500m 7th in heat Jenny Egan Szeged, Hungary
Canoe Sprint World Cup 2 K1W 200m semi final Jenny Egan Duisberg
Canoe Sprint World Cup 2 K1W 500m C Final - 2nd Jenny Egan Duisberg
Canoe sprint Junior Worlds K1 1000m 10 (B final winner) Ronan Foley Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Canoe sprint Junior Worlds K1 500 10 (B final winner) Ronan Foley Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Canoepolo ECA Cup U21 W 7 U21 Women's team Mechelen, Belgium
Canoepolo ECA Cup U21 M 11 U21 Men's team Mechelen, Belgium
30 31

Saturday 15th
September 2018 Race entries are online at https://canoe.ie/liffey-descent/
Irish Coast Paddling Championships
September 22-23rd 2018 Race Entries at www.irishcoastpaddling.com
Location: Greystones South
Beach, Co. Wicklow. Ireland
Race Details: Ireland's first
international Surfski, SUP, Sea
Kayak and Outrigger Canoe
race.With two open water
race distances of 22km and
12km and multiple classes
there will be an option to suit
all levels.
Prize Fund of €55,000
provided by main sponsor
China Silver Asset
Management Limited